Cal’s offensive line didn’t just hold up Saturday against Virginia Tech. It set the tone for a win that needed every bit of poise the Bears could find.
After Kemari Copeland got to Jackson Brousseau on the game’s opening series, the Hokies never knocked him down again. From there, Cal’s protection settled in and Brousseau had the kind of clean afternoon the Bears have been chasing, throwing for 321 yards in a 25-20 victory at home.
The numbers tell the story, but the people in the middle of it tell it even better. Center Bastian Swinney said the group leaned on belief all week after taking its share of criticism this season and allowing four sacks in the Oct. 3 loss at UNLV.
"No one blinked. No one ever doubted. It was all about belief," Swinney said in an interview Sunday afternoon.
That belief showed up in the way Cal handled Virginia Tech’s pressure and in the way the offense moved overall. The Bears finished with 403 yards, a sharp contrast to what the Hokies had given up in their previous two games - 261 yards to Boston College and 295 to Pitt.
Travers Family Head Football Coach Tosh Lupoi credited Swinney and the rest of the starting front - Michael Klisiewicz, Tyson Ruffins, Sioape Vatikani and Frederick Williams III - for creating the time Cal needed.
"us proper time to distribute that ball," Lupoi said in his postgame news conference. "When we execute, it looks a certain way - and for the most part, we executed to a high level."
The payoff came late, when Carson Perry-Smith caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brousseau with 4:06 left to put Cal ahead 19-14. Perry-Smith made sure Swinney’s name was part of the credit.
"Our O-line played an amazing game," said running back Carson Perry-Smith, who caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brousseau with 4:06 left to give the Bears a 19-14 lead. "It starts with Bastian Swinney...
"He's just a standup guy. He really led us to be able to be in those hard moments and come back and just fight the entire game."
For Swinney, the response was as much about mindset as technique. He said the line spent the week thinking about who it wanted to be, both as football players and as people.
"We were talking about, who do you want to be as an individual? Even outside of football, what type of guy do you want to be?"
Swinney said. "So, this whole week was really focused on mindset and I think that played a big part in our performance on Saturday.
"The guys were just bought into, 'OK, I want to be a guy that helps the team win. I want to be part of the reason that we win.' So, I'm really proud of the way the guys stepped up this week and responded to the challenge."
Now in his sixth season at Cal, the Edina, Minnesota, native said he sees himself as a steadying voice for the Bears, even if he doesn’t believe leadership belongs to just one person.
"I'd like to think that I'm a leader of the position group, of the offense collectively and a leader on the team as well," Swinney said. "I wouldn't say we have one leader on the team. Leadership can come from anywhere.
"I have noticed that I can fire guys up a bit, so I'm trying to get a lot better with my leadership, filling that role. It's an honor.
I'm really happy to be able to do that for all my time here at Cal. There's nothing I wouldn't give to this institution."
His brother Meyer, a redshirt freshman wide receiver for the Bears, adds another family tie to the program.
Swinney said the goal now is to keep building after the Virginia Tech win, not sit back and enjoy it for too long.
"We're trying to get better every single day," Swinney said. "So, there are always improvements that can be made no matter how good of a game we have. We're a hungry group and we want to continue to build off of what we've done.
"So, yeah, not being satisfied is the main thing for us."
In Other News...
Cal Pulled Off An ACC Escape Nobody Saw Coming
California kept its footing in a wild ACC finish at California Memorial Stadium, outlasting Virginia Tech 25-20 in a game that swung deep into the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau handled the offense efficiently in place of the injured starter, and the Bears got timely help from multiple contributors on both sides of the ball to stay within striking distance when the game tightened.
The closing sequence came down to the kind of snap that can define a season, with Ashten Emory breaking through for the decisive score in the final moments before the defense was asked to preserve it. Virginia Tech still had one last chance to spoil the night, but Cals secondary held firm and the Bears walked away with a win nobody around the stadium seemed to see coming. [Read more 🡒]
Shorthanded Cal Just Found A Reason To Believe Again
In a game that could have slipped away in the final minute, California found enough offense and just enough resilience to beat Virginia Tech 25-20 and give a shorthanded group something to build on. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau handled the load with 29 completions on 43 attempts for 321 yards and a touchdown, while Ashten Emory kept the Bears in front of the chains and the scoreboard by powering in two touchdowns.
The win also came with the kind of defensive backbone Cal has been searching for, as Virginia Tech was held to 4-for-11 on third downs and the Bears survived their own penalties long enough to close it out. It was the sort of result that can change the tone of a sideline, especially after a week when the margin for error felt razor thin and every snap carried extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Just Found A Reason To Believe Again
In a season that could have tilted the wrong way after injuries hit starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and safety Kingston Lopa, Cal got a lift from an unexpected source. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau stepped in and sparked a fourth-quarter comeback against Virginia Tech, pushing the Bears through a game they badly needed and giving the offense enough life to survive a tense finish.
The defense did its part too, holding firm when the Hokies tried to answer and setting the stage for Ashten Emorys late touchdown that provided the margin. It was the kind of win that can change the mood around a team, especially with Wake Forest coming to Berkeley next, because Cal now has a little more proof that it can win even when the lineup is not what it expected to be. [Read more 🡒]